Number XIII Beta
by Obsidian Buterfly
Summary: 17 years have passed since Train Heartnet left Chronos.Now once again Chronos has risen from the ashes and regained its control on the world's economy,ruling the worlds from the shadows with its very own assassins to back it all up.just who is XIII B?
1. Prologue

_The full moon cast illuminated the empty gardens situated outside the grand mansion in liquid silver. A dark shadow zipped past the trees, unnoticed by the guards stationed at a distance of few feet all over the private lands. The shadow stopped short of the entrance to the mansion and caste a look around it._

_The moonlight fell on the shadow as soon as the cloud, which had momentarily hidden the silvery orb, moved away once again to reveal a tall and lithe man with a fine boned angular face. Serious yet emotionless blue eyes partially hidden by blond bangs narrowed slightly at the sight of two guards coming that way. Not even the slightest rustle of clothes was heard as the silent figure vanished inside the building in a dark blur._

_-0-_

'_Target's death has been confirmed.' A feminine voice sounded in the large room._

_Two silent figures stood before three large screens, one projecting the image of a dark haired woman while the other two showed two males. The woman had tightly curled hair and a pale heart shaped face, a strange red colored symbol was tattooed across her forehead. One of the males wore spectacles on the bridge of his nose and sported his long graying hair in a low pony tail, a green tattoo similar to the one on the female's head was present in the same spot on his visage as well. The third image was that of a man in his mid-forties with raven hair that reached his shoulders and soft blue eyes but if one looked closely enough they could find strength and power rippling just underneath that kind gaze. Just like the other two projections on the holographic screens this man also had a tattoo on his forehead but this time in a deep inky almost black sort of blue._

'_The weapons dealer was dealt with in an efficient manner,' the bespectacled man, also in his fifties, spoke, 'congratulations on a job well done.'_

_The mute figure that stood nearer to the screens gave a slight nod of his head in acknowledgement, only sign of this gesture was the slight rippling of messy blond hair as the head moved slightly._

'_It might be a bit too soon but we have a new mission for you, beta.' Spoke the third man._

'_Sephiria will be the one who shall brief you on the specifics,' the curly haired woman said in a crisp and business like tone, 'it is needless to say that this will also be a top secret mission so avoid being spotted.' With that the holographic screens switched off as the transmission was terminated, the blond clad in a black high collared overcoat and dark grey jeans turned around to face the only other person in the room with him. As he did so, light glinted off of the surface of the ornate gun which was strapped around his left thigh. _

'_Number Thirteen Beta.' A woman in her forties addressed the young blue eyed assassin as she rose from her kneeling position on the ground. The symbol of XIII β was clearly visible on the left collarbone of the man who stood before his commanding officer in an alert posture. The sight of that young face, cold emotionless eyes staring at her impassively as their owner awaited his briefing, reminded the older woman of another assassin which she had known once upon a time. It was almost seventeen years now since she had last seen _that_ face. Sighing to herself, the woman started explaining whatever mission it was that the BLACK CAT was supposed to carry out._

_**A/N: yet another idea has popped into my mind and it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down and posted it here. ;)**_

_**I have quite a few interesting ideas for where I am going to take this story although ideas would be welcome once a few chapters are out.**_

_**Anyhow how many people can guess the identities of the new elders and XIII β correctly?**_

_**Come on people click on the review button or just go to my profile page and PM me. I wanna see how many of you can actually get it right due to the fact that my description is a dead giveaway. ;) hehehe.**_

_**Anyhow I'll stop my blabbering at this point and leave you all to wonder… and then answer my question!**_

_**Don't forget to review. ;)**_


	2. Demon Twins

'You'll have to go through me first,' the brown haired woman spoke as she narrowed her green eyes, 'there's no way I'm going to let you take them away.'

'You don't get it, do you?' a man's laughter cut through the silent forest, echoing in a strange manner as it bounced off the cliff walls and empty caves. All wildlife seemed to have fled that area as though if having sensed the upcoming battle in advance. 'We aren't here to take them away. After all that they have done, they don't deserve to live anymore.'

'You bastards are all crazy.' The woman said in a disgusted tone as she picked up a gun in her hand and crouched down next to two blond twins, no older than five. 'Yuui I want you and Fay to go and hide. Okay?'

'Are the bad people going to hurt us?' one of the twins asked as he looked into the woman's eyes.

'No Fay,' the woman grinned cockily as she got up and hurried over to a small bookcase in the stone cave, 'no bad people are going to get past your nee-san. Now hurry up and wait on the other side.' She said as she pulled a book out of the shelf, causing the bookcase to swing open revealing the tunnel behind it.

'You can't hide the demons forever.' The same mocking voice reached their ears.

'Go on.' the woman urged the twins, nudging them into the tunnel.

'Will you be okay?' both twins asked at the same time.

'Of course.' The woman smiled. 'Now go. I'll meet you on the other side in an hour.'

'Okay.' The boys sniffled as they turned around and scrambled away in the dark tunnel as fast as their tiny legs would allow them. The woman watched them go with a thoughtful gaze before snapping back to reality after a while. She pulled a lever right next to the tunnel entrance, causing the book shelf to swig back to its initial position.

'Why are you risking your own life for a couple of demons?' a brown haired man asked as soon as the woman stepped out of the cave, a big gun in her hands while another identical one was slung across her back.

'They are not demons,' the woman growled as her eyes narrowed to slits upon witnessing the numbers in which those people had come, just to kill off a couple of five year olds. 'You sure did come in full force this time.'

'But of course.' The man stepped forward with a malevolent grin, 'it is to ensure that those twins of misfortune can't get away again. Saki, please think about this,' the man said with a fake sincerity in his voice, 'you can still return, just let us kill those two and you will be left alone. No more hiding, no more running. You'll have the freedom you always wanted.'

'Freedom?' the woman, Saki, laughed, 'you just want me to let you kill those two innocent children. Once you're done with them, I'll probably be your next target.'

'You always were too smart for your own good.' The man shook his head in disappointment, 'no matter, we'll still get those demons and once we return home, we shall be treated as heroes.'

'We'll just see about that, won't we, Caliber?' Saki said as she raised her gun and fired. This was, perhaps, the cue all the other soldiers with the brown haired man had been waiting for, because they all opened fire at that instant.

Somewhere in the dark tunnels one of the twins cried out at the sound of distant gunshots.

'Saki nee-san is in trouble. We have to go back.'

'No Yuui,' the other twin said, clinging onto the arm of his brother while digging his heels in the ground to keep him from going back, 'nee-san said we have to get to the other side.'

'But she is in trouble Fay!' Yuui protested as he struggled to go back.

'She said she would be fine.' Fay said stubbornly as he tugged his twin the other way, 'we have to go.'

'But nee-san could get hurt.' Yuui whined.

'No she can't,' Fay stood his ground, 'Saki nee-san is the strongest. No bad people can hurt her.'

'…'

'Come on.' Fay pulled his brother's arm, making him walk along with him since he had stopped struggling. 'She'll be worried if she gets there before us and can't find us anywhere.'

Back in the forest, Saki ran through the tightly knit trees, dodging arrows and bullets alike by ducking between trees and zipping here and there. Occasionally she would stop to turn around and fire at her pursuers, each time the bullets she fired finding their mark with ease.

'Those twins of misfortune are the reason why our country is suffering so much.' Caliber yelled as he and his men followed the stupid woman, 'why do you want to destroy the place where you spent your entire childhood? Do you have any idea what keeping those two alive is doing to Valeria?'

'Those famines and droughts are a result of your stupid ways.' Saki yelled back as she made her way across the forest, zig zagging through the trees, backtracking and then resuming her original path, just to confuse her followers. Finally after what seemed like ages, she finally managed to lose them, panting slightly, Saki supported herself against a tree by placing one hand on its thick trunk as she tried to catch her breath. Then she turned around and made her way towards the nearest cave, once inside she rummaged about the junk littering the floor until she found what she was looking for.

Picking up the golden daggers, Saki walked over to the strange wooden closet and pulled its door open; carefully shutting it behind her once she was standing inside the tunnel. She walked in the darkness for almost fifteen minutes until her eyes picked up light at the far end, hurrying up her pace, Saki jogged to the mouth of the cave and peered outside. The mouth of the tunnel opened up to a sort of stone ledge overlooking the entire forest. One side of the ledge widened to a sort of pathway, leading down the mountain slope towards the flatter parts of the forest.

The twins were both sitting on the side opposite to the pathway, looking at the raging river below them.

'Saki nee-san!' both blond boys gave identical cries of joy upon sensing her approach them.

'See? I told you she would be fine.' Fay said smugly as Saki hugged them both.

'I never said she wouldn't be.' Yuui stuck his tongue out at his twin as he snuggled into their sister's warm embrace.

'It's not very nice to fight with your brother, Yuui.' Saki admonished the boy, 'and Fay you shouldn't make fun of him for worrying about me.'

'Yes nee-san.' Both boys nodded their head quickly.

'Aww… Isn't that sweet?' Caliber's voice made them all look back towards the mouth of the tunnel. There he stood, along with thirty other men, all armed and ready to kill at a flick of his hand.

'You?' Saki gasped, how could it be? She had made sure she lost them back in the forest, how could he have followed her up here?

'Did you honestly think you would be able to lose us like that?' Caliber asked as though if he had read her mind.

'Yuui, Fay. Stay behind me, okay?' Saki told the twins as she stood up in front of them in a protective manner.

'That bastard might have helped you save those demons the last time,' Caliber said as he walked out of the tunnel and onto the ledge, 'but he is not here now.'

'I don't need Train-kun's help to keep them safe.' Saki said as she aimed the gun at the man's head.

'This ends today.' Caliber said as he slowly raised his own gun, 'I gave you a chance but you refused to save yourself. Now, you die with them.'

Saki's eyes widened in pain as the bullet embedded itself into her flesh.

'I'm not going to let you kill them,' Saki growled through clenched teeth as she shot the man, but her bullet just grazed his shoulder.

'Finish them off.' Caliber said in a venomous tone as he narrowed his eyes in hatred.

Multiple gunshots rang through the tranquil air once more. The birds perched up in the tall trees gave out cries of alarm as they fluttered out of their nests and flew away.

'Yuui! Fay!' Saki cried as she looked behind her, one of the twins had been shot and had fallen off the ledge, right into the raging waters below, the other one had an arrow sticking out of his side but he was not even aware of that. His mind was elsewhere as he screamed out to his twin. There was no way he would be able to survive that.

She had herself collapsed to the cold stone, the dozens of bullets in her body taking their toll. She weakly tried to crawl to the remaining twin, dragging her body with the help of weak shaky arms but even those limbs refused to work after a few pulls. The thud of a heavy boot sounded near her head. Looking up she found herself staring into the barrel of a gun.

'Goodbye, Saki.' Caliber gave a manic grin as he pulled the trigger.

BANG!

'No!' cried the injured blond in horror as he looked at the lifeless body of the twenty five year old woman. 'Saki nee-san!'

'Don't worry prince.' The brown haired man turned his attention to the crying five year old, 'you'll be joining her and your twin very soon.'

'You killed them!' the boy shrieked as angry tears ran down his cheeks, the ledge beneath their feet began to quake slightly, 'You killed them!' he screamed once more. Suddenly Caliber's men who were still in the tunnels entrance gave alarmed yelps as the roof of the tunnel collapsed on top of them, burying them alive.

Caliber's whipped around with a shock expression on his face as he witnessed the fate of his men.

'You're every inch of the demon they've claimed you to be.' Caliber said as a sadistic grin replaced the astounded look, 'Enjoy your time in hell, demon!' He spat as he fired. At the same time, all those who had survived being crushed under the rocks by jumping out of the tunnel in time, also fired at the blue eyed boy- the small body crumpling to the ground instantaneously.

'Send a word back to his majesty,' Caliber said as he allowed himself a satisfied smirk at the scene before his eyes, 'the twins of misfortune have been taken care of. We will be setting back for Valeria shortly.' With that said the brown haired man turned around and proceeding to walk back towards the pathway which led down the ledge. He felt strange sort of satisfaction fill his insides.

After all he had finally done it. He had rid Valeria of the curse that had plagued his country for such a long time. He had avenged the deaths of the prince and his wife. His people will no longer live in fear of misfortune. Those evil twins were gone for good. Oh yes. Once he returned, he Caliber Ester would be treated as a hero.

Suddenly a sharp pain shot down his left arm and shoulder making him gasp and clutch the area with his right hand. Something wet and sticky trickled down his arm and from between his fingers. Removing his hand from his shoulder and bringing it up to his eye level, Caliber saw that the sticky liquid was red in color; his own blood. But who?

Caliber turned back to see who the hell had just shot him, only to find all his soldiers on the ground like lifeless marionettes with strings cut off. Large gaping holes in their heads or chests, arrows sticking out of a few of them. What sort of monster had been so fast that his men didn't even have time to cry out?

'You and your men killed my brother and sister,' a cold inhuman voice spoke near his ear making chills run down the entire length of his spine. 'They have already paid the price, now it is your turn.' The captain's eyes widened in shock as one last gunshot pierced the silence, scaring away the birds that had finally settled back in their nests in the treetops.

-0-

'Shit!' Exclaimed the spikey brown haired ex-assassin as he heard the multiple gunshots in the distance. Whoever it was that was shooting up on those cliffs better have a life or death situation they were dealing with, otherwise Train was going to have to kick their ass. They had just alerted his latest target, the bastard was a psychopath murderer who targeted young girls, mutilating their bodies in unimaginable ways before killing them by slitting their throats.

He just had to get that bastard before he could hurt anyone else. A gentleman would… wait a minute; this was what Sven would have said. His green-haired friend had definitely rubbed off on him if the golden eyed sweeper was speaking in terms of being a gentleman. Shaking his head to clear away those scary thoughts of seeing himself in a cream colored suit with a matching brimmed hat, Train hurried his already fast pace to dash through the trees at a speed unimaginable for an average person.

Years of training with Zagine and later with chromos as an assassin had turned him into the perfect weapon. Fast, precise and very efficient, even though now he was no longer a killer, rather a protector of justice.

Even if the first killer might have ignored the first couple of gunshots, there was no way he would have turned a deaf ear to all those which had followed the initial ones. Train prayed with all his heart that he was wrong and that his target was still there, even though his sharp mind already knew what the killer would have done in this sort of situation. His suspicions about those gunshots having alerted his target were confirmed once he reached the cave opening situated near the rapids.

'Why do I always pick up the crazy ones?' Train thought as he entered the cave only to find it completely empty. 'Great.' Sighed the cat eyed ex-assassin as he made his way back to the opening feeling dejected. Not only was he unable to catch the psychotic murderer he was now completely out of money. And no money meant no milk… or food. How in the world was he going to survive without food??? And milk?

'I hope you're happy.' Train muttered darkly as he looked towards the cliff tops, 'whoever you are.' His thought drifted towards the possible wielders of guns who could be out here in the wilderness. Maybe it was some hunters coming out here in this area for the open season. Damn it. They helped his target escape for a couple of stags??? This was so unfair. Maybe his target had left behind some sort of trail which he could pick up. That way an entire week's worth of work would not go to waste. Train was so absorbed in those sulking thoughts that he almost failed to notice the body that the river swept past him. Almost.

'What in the...' The ex-assassin swore as he raced after the drowning child. Discarding Hades and his jacket along the bank as he ran, Train jumped into the raging waters and swam towards the place where he had last seen the child go under. A mop of blond hair was visible just beneath the surface. The kid must be stuck. Train thought as he took a deep breath and plunged his head underwater, battling his way over to the stationary yet drowning victim.

The kid's ankle seemed to have gotten stuck between two rocks. Train tried to free it as carefully as he could, since it was probably broken and he did not want to damage it any further. He managed to so in less than a minute, making sure he had a firm hold on the blond; Train once again swam against the current, pulling along the limp form with him. Laying the boy down once he had reached the bank and pulled them both out of the water, Train checked for signs of life, the boy was not breathing but a dwindling heartbeat was still there.

Placing his hands on the child's small rib cage, Train applied a bit of pressure in a rhythmic tone. It was on his third attempt of administering CPR that the frail looking child gave a small gasp. His eyes were squished together and he began coughing hysterically, with water spouting up with every exhale. Finally once his lungs had expelled all the water, he started to breathe on his own.

Once satisfied that the boy would keep on breathing without any help, the spikey-haired sweeper checked the child for other injuries. That was when he realized that the broken foot was not the only thing he had to worry about. There was a deep gash in the boy's side and a big bruise was forming on his head. And as if that was not enough, the boy was shivering like hell and his lips were turning blue.

Train swore under his breath as he tore off the hem of the boy's shirt and used it as a substitute bandage to keep the blood from flowing from the wound. Gathering the frail form in his arms, the sweeper hurried upstream to retrieve his jacket and gun. He removed the wet shirt from the unconscious boy's shivering form and covered him in his dry jacket, for once cursing himself for no longer wearing the long overcoat which he had favored in his Chronos days.

There was a small village nearby, almost an hour's distance away on foot. That was the place where he had been staying while tracking down the killer. If he went extremely fast, maybe Train could make it back in half time. If only the boy would be able to hold on for that long. Deciding that he didn't really have any other choice, since he had no idea on how to treat an injured and possibly sick child, Train turned around and started running back towards the village. His target was just going to have to wait.

-0-

'Whoa!' exclaimed the black haired man as he eyed the carnage around him. Dead bodies littered the forest floor everywhere. Most of the foreigners were armed with guns or bows and arrows yet from what he was looking at, it seemed as if their own weapons had turned against them and killed them off.

S-Sephiria-sama! Jenos-sama!' called out one of the men that accompanied the Chronos numbers to this distant sight. 'There is something you should see over here.'

The two Chronos members shared a look before following him.

'What the hell!' Exclaimed an awestruck Jenos. 'Sephi-nee, please don't tell me 'that' is the reason why we are here.'

'Unbelievable.' Sephiria aka Number I breathed as she made her way over to the unconscious blond boy on the ground, his small head lying on the corpse of a brown haired woman with a kind face. His tiny hand clutching her clothes very tightly, as though afraid that she would vanish if he let go. An empty gun and a bow were lying a small distance from the two.

'So the girl killed them all off and then died leaving behind the poor thing.' Jenos said as he came and stood next to her. 'Pity. She was really cute.'

'No.' Number I shook her head gravely.

'She wasn't cute?' Jenos asked in confusion as he looked at his sister figure and leader.

'No,' the woman clarified with another shake of her head, 'I meant she didn't kill them.'

'Then who kil...?' Jenos trailed off as he eyed the scene more closely before his eyes widened in shock as comprehension dawned upon him. 'You mean... No. No way! _He _killed them? But he is just a kid.'

'So?' The leader said simply, remembering another instance when a young child had killed off an entire gang of mobsters all by himself.

-0-

_BANG!_

_BANG!!_

_BANG!_

'_Are you really going to help the witch and hide those demons'? The bearded old man trapped in the fallen robot asked as he stared up at Train with anger and hatred in his grey eyes._

'_Witch? Demons? You mean Saki and her friends?' Train asked as he cocked his head to one side._

'_No.' the man replied, 'I mean the infants that that woman is hiding here.'_

'_Infants?' Train repeated._

'_Those twins of misfortune are going to bring nothing but bad luck for all those around them.' The man said, venom lacing each and every one of his words, 'calamities, famines and droughts will destroy the place they reside in. traveler,' the man added suddenly as though if an idea had just occurred to him, 'take my place and destroy those evil seeds. By your own hand! With that gun!'_

…………

'_We were attendants to a king in a faraway land, the country of Valeria, a place unheard of by you.' Saki said as she held two small bundles in her arms. Rocking them back and forth in a soothing motion, 'one day the princess, the wife of the king's younger brother, gave birth to two adorable little twins.'_

'_In our country it is believed that twins are a sign of misfortune,' Saki said as she turned around to face the ex-assassin, 'the prince was killed in an ambush almost a week after their birth and the princess jumped off the highest tower in the palace only days later. This strengthened the belief in the general population about the princes being bad luck.'_

'_After the death of his brother and sister-in-law,' Saki continued as she walked over to Train, 'the king ordered the death of the young princes' my friends and I couldn't let them destroy the future of two mere infants…'_

'_You did the right thing Saki.' Train said, 'being born as a twin is no crime. And calamities are a result of scientific phenomenon. If they were going to destroy the life of children on the basis of some stupid superstition then that country doesn't deserve to thrive anyways.'_

'_I took the princes and fled to this country…' she paused as she looked down at the sleeping bundles in her arms, ' even if what they say is correct and the twins might be a sign of bad luck, it would still not justify their murder like that.'_

'_These two are the future of your country,' Train said as he took one of the bundles from the woman's arms, 'so you have to protect it, in whatever way is possible.'_

_-0-_

_**A/N: so guys, what do you think? Good or bad? Leave a review and let me know.**_

_**And who can tell me which twin is which? I mean who fell off the cliff? Any guesses?**_

_**Anyone? (Looks around expectantly.)**_

_**Aww come on you people. Say something… anything.**_

_**Train: you killed off Saki?**_

_**Me: hehehe… I do love killing characters. (glances towards Train)**_

_**Train: Ah!!! The crazy author is after me now.**_

_**Kurogane: see. Even the cat guy admits that you're crazy.**_

_**Me: did I ever deny that?**_

_**Eve: nope.**_

_**Me: then?**_

_**Eve: it means that you're cranium is completely void of a brain and is inhabited by creepy talking monkey people.**_

_**Me: huh?!?**_

_**Monkey people inside author's head: **_**we are not creepy.**

_**Me: I have monkeys in my brain?**_

_**Monkey people: you'd be surprised by what you can find up here.**_

_**Me: err…**_

_**Eve: by the way you asked them to tell you which twin is which but you forgot one small detail.**_

_**Me: and that would be?**_

_**Eve: you have not given them any hints whatsoever to point them in the right direction.**_

_**Me: oh yeah? Well I'd like to see you do better.**_

_**Eve: gladly. (turns around to face you) kindly ignore the brainless, creepy monkey brained author and head over to the review room to leave your reviews screaming at her that you want to see more of me and less of everything else which is not me.**_

_**Everyone: **_**X-X**

_**Eve: (looks around in confusion)… what?**_


	3. What you're name kid?

"Train-kun," the raven-haired healer spoke as she walked up to the sweeper reclining in her living room, "The boy has regained consciousness now. You can speak to him if you want."

"Thanks Tomoyo," Train smiled as he walked past her and into the small room.

"Hey kid." Train's grin did not fade away although he did cringe internally on the condition of the boy. His pale skin was whiter than snow itself, his small chest mummified in white gauze, well part of what was visible anyways, his head also covered underneath a turban of bandages.

The kid shrank back as soon as he saw Train enter the room, his scared blue eyes darting around, looking for possible escape routes, as though if he was expecting the sweeper to attack him.

"Easy there." Train said as he held up his hands in defense. "I'm going to do anything."

The boy looked at him with eyes narrowed in distrust before his gaze traveled to his leg. The instant his eyes fell on Hades, the kid's eyes widened to the size of plates as his face lost whatever small fraction of color that had been there. The boy scrambled away from him, as much as he could, till his back touched the wall against which the bed was set.

"Oh shit." Train swore mentally as he realized that the boy was terrified of him. After all, no traumatized and injured child would trust a complete stranger. Realizing this, Train decided to take his leave, Tomoyo could easily ask him about his family and when her husband, Kurogane, returned they would probably get this boy back to his family.

"You're leaving already?" Tomoyo asked, looking surprised when Train walked out of the room and headed straight for the exit.

"The kid is terrified of me. I don't think he will talk to me." Train replied as he stopped by the door, "Besides, I still have a murderer to catch." He added upon seeing the disapproving look on the healer's face.

"You and Kurogane can take him back, can't you?" Train asked her.

"We can." Tomoyo replied.

"But?" Train inquired sensing she had not finished saying what was on her mind.

"But," Tomoyo said, 'he is your responsibility Train.'

"Huh?" Yelped Train in surprise.

"You're the one who saved him," Tomoyo replied with amusement, Train's reactions were priceless.

"So?" Asked the cat eyed sweeper.

"So, you have to get him back home as well." Tomoyo clarified.

"But... But what about the target?" Train whined in an almost childish manner.

"Well he must be long gone by now." The healer replied, "You can pick up his trail after the boy is back with his family."

"Tomoyo who knows how long that might take." Train tried to convince her, "my target's trail could be cold by then."

"This is exactly why I would suggest that you hurry up and finish this job at hand." Tomoyo smirked.

"Job?" Train repeated but his shoulders sagged in defeat at one look from Tomoyo. "Fine." He grumbled, "But how do I talk to him? He seemed to be terrified of me."

"Not you silly." Tomoyo giggled, "Your gun. Leave it outside."

"You better not hide it." Train said as he unstrapped the holster from leg and set it down on the table.

"I won't." Tomoyo smiled assuringly as the sweeper walked back inside.

"Hey." Train smiled kindly as he walked up to the blond.

The boy looked up at him before his eyes darted back to his leg. Upon discovering that the gun was no longer there, the blond visibly relaxed since he did not scoot away.

_That's a good sign,_ Train thought as he walked closer, careful not to alarm the child.

"How are you feeling?" He asked kindly, pulling a seat from the nearby study desk closer to the bed.

"Who are you?" The boy looked up at him.

"I'm Train Heartnet," Replied the sweeper.

"Why do you keep a gun?" The boy's tone was curious instead of suspicious. Suddenly, he was no longer afraid of the man.

"I use it to catch the bad guys." He answered with a grin.

"Do you get scared of them?" The child asked in a low tone as he looked at his hands lying in his lap.

"Scared?" Repeated the man as he cocked his head to one side. "Why?"

"Cuz they're scary and mean." Replied the blond.

"Nah." Train grinned cockily which caused the young boy to giggle, "What?" the ex-assassin asked in confusion.

"You're funny." The blond giggled again.

_You're so funny Train-kun._

"I like you," The boy smiled. The smile was full of innocence and childish honesty. "You're not scary or mean."

"Oh… Thanks?" Train replied uncertainly as his phone started buzzing. A small exasperated sigh escaped his lips as soon as he saw the caller ID. "Hello."

"KURO-SAMA!" A girls' voice shrieked on the other end of the phone, causing Train to wince in pain.

"Hey Kyoko."

"OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH!" The girl screamed, "GUESS WHAT KURO-SAMA?" The hyper girl was louder than usual. Even the blond boy was looking at him with an expression which was a cross of amusement and sympathy.

"What Kyoko?" Train asked warily as he eyed the blond boy. Okay, now he was more amused than sympathetic.

"I GOT MY LICENSE TODAY!" If Train thought that the girl was loud before, he had no idea what to think of her now, "I AM NOW A SWEEPER! JUST LIKE YOU! ISN'T THAT GREAT?"

"Uh, yeah, that's really good to hear Kyoko," the former Chronos number XIII congratulated the girl.

"IT IS. AND I'LL BE OUT FOR MY FIRST TARGET TODAY!" she sounded really excited. "I JUST THOUGHT I SHOULD TALK TO KURO-SAMA FOR GOOD LUCK."

_Talk to the Black Cat for _good luck_? This is totally weird. But then again, Kyoko is weird too._ The brown haired ex-assassin thought.

"OKAY, I GOTTA GO NOW. BYE KURO-SAMA!"

"Who was that?" the blond asked curiously whilst tilting his head to one side.

"A good friend," number thirteen replied as he pocketed the small device. "So," the catlike grin was back on his face. "What's your name kid?"

"Fai."

-0-

"Is he awake yet?" Number VII, Jenos Hazard asked the doctor who had just exited the room in which the five year old blond was being kept for treatment.

"Yes," the practitioner replied as he closed the door behind him. "But it appears shock has affected his speech. The boy refuses to speak."

"Oh," The raven haired man slid his hand into the pocket of his coat. "I guess we better report this to Sephi-nee chan."

"Sephiria-sama has already been notified," the man informed him. "She wishes for you to speak with the child."

"Me?" Jenos's mouth fell open.

"Yes," the doctor replied with barely concealed amusement.

"B-but…" the raven-head stuttered as he tried to come up with some excuse. "…fine." He grumbled crossly once he realized that nothing he said would make their captain change her mind. Number VII opened the door quietly and stepped inside.

The little blond was sitting in his bed, a small plastic IV tube attached to the top of his right hand, pumping a few painkillers and meds in the boy's frail looking body. His dull, cobalt colored eyes flickered in the assassin's direction for a fraction of a second before resuming their vacant staring at the plain wall before him.

"Hey kid," Jenos greeted the boy in a fake yet almost believable cheerful voice. Those empty azure orbs were unnerving to say the least. Never before in his life had he seen someone look so utterly defeated and broken. "How are you feeling?"

The boy acknowledged his presence no further.

"I'm Jenos Hazard by the way." He said with a grin, seating himself on the edge of the kid's bed. The child did not stir.

"Those men killed her," he knew it was cruel to say such things to a child no older than five years but it had to be done. The boy had to be brought out of his stupor. This boy… he was something special. Jenos knew it. He could feel it. "Do you know why they were after you?"

This elicited a reaction from the boy, a small flicker of emotion passed through his eyes but it was gone in less than a fraction of a second.

"Bad luck." The elite assassin had not expected him to answer but that faint whisper, which might have been inaudible to any normal person, caught his attention.

"Bad luck?" he repeated, locking his gaze on the child's expressionless face.

"They said we cause bad luck." He answered in a hollow tone, his small fists tightening their hold around the sheets.

"How?" Jenos was curious now. What could a mere child do to bring misfortune?

"He called us demons. The twins of misfortune." His body was shaking now, but not a single tear escaped his eyes.

Twins? Where was the other one?

"Just because we were born as twins," The boy whispered his tiny knuckles completely white. "He killed him and my sister."

"Who? Who killed them?" Chronos existed to protect the weak and the helpless. And he'll be damned if he didn't do something about what had just happened to this poor boy before him. "I promise we'll find him and make him pay."

"Why?" Finally that blue-eyed gaze met his, letting him see the emptiness inside, "Who are you?"

"I'm Jenos Hazard," he flashed the kid a cocky smile, hoping to "And I'll help you because that's my job. Me and my friends exist to help people like you."

"Are you a sweeper?"

"No, I'm Number VII." He answered, "I'm a part of the Chronos Numbers. So what's your name kid?" he decided to change the topic. Maybe he would try asking about the man responsible for those deaths some time later.

"Fai." He answered after a long while, his gaze returning to the whitewashed wall behind Jenos."You won't be able to get to the man who did this." The boy, Fai, added after a while. Number VII was surprised to say the least. This boy was way too mature to be just five years old. But then again, death and loss does that to everyone.

"Why is that?"

"Because he is dead." He answered simply.

"How do you know that?"

"I'm the one who killed him."

-0-

"Don't forget to come see us the next time you're around Train-kun." Tomoyo waved her hand cheerfully as she bade goodbye to her cat-eyed friend and his little companion and responsibility for now.

"And risk getting pummeled by that husband of yours?" Train paled a little bit at the thought of that.

"Oh, you know Kurogane didn't really mean it."

"I beg to differ, Tomoyo." The ex-assassin shook his head, adjusting the boy on his back in a more comfortable position. "I swear his glare alone can burn a hole through concrete. He's even scarier than an angry Sven, Little Princess and Rinslet put together."

"He loves you too Train-kun." Tomoyo giggled.

"Yeah yeah. Tell him I said hi when he comes back from his trip."

"I will."

"Bye then." He turned around, marching purposefully through the tree line in the direction of the nearest highway. He'd have to get a lift to get back to the city. Especially when he had to help an amnesiac boy, find his family.

"Bye Tomoyo nee-chan." The little blond boy waved back as he squirmed on the Black Cat's back, craning his neck to see the laughing amethyst-eyed girl.

"Oye, oye," Train warned as he felt his charge's leg slip from his grasp, "stop squirming so much kid. You're gonna fall."

"Sorry." The boy flushed.

"Train-san?" he spoke shyly after a while.

"What?" the golden-eyed man grunted as he jumped down a small rock face.

"Can I stay with you if I can't find my family?"

"Why would you say that?" he asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of his tone.

"I don't know," the boy answered sadly, "It's just something keeps telling me I won't find them again."

"Don't worry, we'll find them." he assured the suddenly miserable boy.

"Train-san?"

"Call me Train. No need to be so formal with me."

"Do you know a princess?"

"Why'd you say that?"

"You mentioned a princess when you were talking to Tomoyo nee-chan. Is she pretty like the princess's in the stories my nee-chan used to tell me about?"

"Nee-chan? Hey, just remembered something. You have a nee-chan. Can you remember what she looks like? Her name? Anyone else?"

"Um…" Train turned his head to see the little blonde's face scrunched up in concentration. "She has… green-eyes. And and… I can't remember anything else…" the boy's shoulders slumped in defeat after a little while.

"No worries, you'll remember eventually." He told Fai confidently, "In the meantime, to answer your question. Princess is the nickname I gave to a friend of mine because it annoys her a lot."

"Why is that?"

"Because…" a thoughtful expression appeared on the sweeper's face as he tried to come up with a reason. "I have no idea." He admitted after a while. "But she's like a little sister to me and it's fun to tease her."

-0-

Jenos was talking to one of his subordinates when the blond kid, Fai, opened the door to his office and peaked inside. Jenos nodded at him to come inside while bringing his discussion with the Eraser to a close. "You can collect the files in the evening." Jenos told him before turning his attention on the five-year put under his charge.

"Hello Fai," he smiled as the blond walked inside and sat down on the chair his subordinate had been occupying a short while back. The Chronos Number had been staying at the headquarters for over a month due to the sudden workload thanks to a new gang of criminals bringing about chaos in the world, so Fai was also kept here.

Number I a.k.a. Sephiria had made him the boy's legal guardian since he no longer had any family. Number VII had tried to protest but the green-eyed woman had merely smiled before dismissing him with the documents. So now, here he was stuck taking care of quiet, non-talkative yet surprisingly brilliant child. Fai was a very quick learner and had learnt all the books Jenos had provided him with, in less than a week.

That in itself had been unnerving for Jenos. The books he had given him had to be till middle school level and he had already solved their practice question papers. And one of the erasers he had tricked into tutoring the boy, had informed him with wide disbelieving eyes that he had scored hundred percent in every single one of them.

So he was now, working on high school level books and though he had slowed down considerably since the coursework was tougher, Fai was still moving at a remarkable pace.

That child was a genius.

"So, what brings you in here today?" the assassin asked gently.

"I-I…" He started in a small, somewhat hesitant voice.

"What is it? Do you need more books?" he tried to guess, the boy did not talk much, even with him. The very first conversation that he had had with the boy had been his longest one up to date.

"N-no." Fai shook his little head, his sun-kissed locks swaying wildly about his head.

"Then?" he coaxed.

"I-I…" he clenched his tiny fists by his sides as he looked down at his lap, "I-I want to be an Eraser."

"What?" Jenos Hazard yelped in a very unmanly way.

"I want to help people." He looked up, his azure eyes burning with determination.

"Maybe when you are older," Number VII spoke, his eyes betraying none of the emotions he felt as he locked his gaze with the boy's.

"But…"

"You're too young to be a killer, Fai," he said simply, flipping his file open in a manner that told the blond that his discussion was over for then. With his head bowed low, the boy left the room letting it come to a close behind him.

Once the door was shut securely, Jenos finally let his disbelief and shock at his charge's request show.


End file.
